Get Your Students Hired
We now work in long blocks of class periods (4 hours), and while I have found the need to take frequent breaks (at least 1 per hour), I often see students who remain in their seats, pull out their phones, etc., while the rest attend to bathroom or smoke breaks. With all the recent studies on exercise vs. sitting too long and the mental benefits of physical exertion, I'm tempted to institute a policy to at least stand up or walk around during breaks. Thoughts?
Emmett,
Students need to get up and move around so they can get the blood flowing and reset their brains. Your approach does this and also they get to chat with fellow students and develop network connections for themselves.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In my classroom I have every one leave the room during breaks. This makes them get up and move and gives me time to grab a drink and think about what is coming up next. I also get to a chance to visit with a few of the students in a less structured environment.
Carlos,
Good plan for helping them to reset their minds and come back to class ready to move to the next topic area.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I can relate to your situation. By having them take 10 minute breaks every hour, they can relax to begin the next hour with an open mind. This helps as most of the projects require some level of inspirational thinking when developing a platform based application.
Barbara,
Good strategy. Thanks for sharing it with us. I know it will be of benefit to other instructors looking for ways to get their students refocused and on task again.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have been to seminars, classes, prep courses where the instructor will suddenly have everyone rise from their seats and move...wave your arms, circle your neck etc. it takes less than 5 minutes and wakes everyone up, not to mention the health benefits.
Beryl,
Glad to hear that you like this strategy. I know you are going to have a lot great results as you use this method.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Hi Dr. Meers,
The idea of having students ask each other a question to stimulate conversation is a brilliant idea. I always talk to my students and employees about the importance of networking and I feel that this would be a great way to start a network.
Hi Jamie,
Making your student stand and move around is an excellent idea as taking breaks are very important during long sessions. Having the students move around will help to refresh them for the next hour.
Jamie,
As I teach from 4 until 10 pm I can relate to your situation. When we take breaks I do require my students to get up and move around even while using their cell phones. It is important to get some physical activity between sessions so have them stand up and then they are dismissed for the break. I also have given them a question to ask another student during the break so I can get them to talking with each other because many times when we take a break they just pull out their phones and the next 10 minutes goes by without a single sound or any interaction between students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.